F. GEOGRAPHY. 189 



on the Noursook side of the Waigat, but was unable to dis- 

 cover the lakes given as occurring on Rink's map. He, how- 

 ever, found a large one, which has one or more glaciers coming 

 into it, at a height of 2000 feet above the sea. This valley 

 is the most important one hitherto discovered in North Green- 

 land. The stream traversing it has the appearance of a great 

 river, and not of a torrent. After descending through many 

 windings, a course of at least 100 miles, it pours into the 

 sea a volume of water equal to that of the Rhone at the Lake 

 of Geneva. 



At Umenak Fiord he ascended a mountain about 7000 feet 

 in height, taking his theodolite to the top, and making nu- 

 merous observations. He was enabled to correct the geog- 

 raphy of many of the points, and the estimated determina- 

 tions of the heights. On Hare Island, which has a height of 

 1800 feet, he collected a large number of fossil plants, and from 

 its summit at midnight he distinctly recognized a mountain, 

 called Sanderson's Hope, near Upernavik, distant 140 miles. 

 The general collections made by him were equal to those of 

 1867, and there was a greater number of fossil plants than 

 he procured at that time. He obtained a great number of 

 stone implements, and of good quality, and numerous zoolog- 

 ical objects. 12 A, November 7, 1872, 8. 



COMMISSION FOR INVESTIGATING THE GERMAN SEAS. 



A scientific commission for the investigation of the natural 

 and physical history of the German seas, with its head-quar- 

 ters at Kiel, has been in existence for several years, and under 

 the supervision of its president, Dr. H. A. Meyer (a brother- 

 in-law of Senator Schurz),has already succeeded in collecting 

 and determining many interesting facts. Dr. Meyer, in re- 

 porting the result of this summer's work, remarks that, al- 

 though the discoveries in general may be somewhat inferior 

 in interest to those of some of the preceding seasons, yet that 

 much progress has been made in accomplishing the objects 

 of the survey. The work was principally performed on board 

 the JPommerania, a German government vessel assigned to this 

 duty, and which left Kiel on the 21st of July and returned 

 on the 9th of November, having, therefore, been occupied 111 

 days. Several harbors of other nations were visited during 

 the cruise for the sake of obtaining provisions and coal. 



